In March this year, we reported on a study from Trinity College Dublinwhich found that babies move around in the womb because they aretrying to develop strong bones and joints. Now, scientists atUniversity College London may have discovered another reason whyunborn babies kick.

A study published in the journal Scientific Reports suggests thatfoetal movements enable a baby to construct a basic brain network sothat it can understand what part of the body is moving and how it isbeing touched.

Feeling their surroundings

The team analyzed the brainwaves of 19 two-day-old infants, some ofwhom were premature and were therefore assumed to be acting as if theywere still in the womb. Using noninvasive electroencephalography(EEG) researchers found that when the babies kicked, a region of theirbrains that is linked to sensory input, known as the somatosensorycortex, was activated.

The size of these brainwaves was largest in premature babies in theequivalent of the last trimester, and were no longer triggered bymovement once the infants turned a few weeks old.

"Spontaneous movement and consequent feedback from the environmentduring the early developmental period are known to be necessary forproper brain mapping in animals such as rats. Here we showed that thismay be true in humans too," study author Dr Lorenzo Fabrizi said.

Care for preemies

Mothers start feeling movements between 16-25 weeks gestation (thoughspontaneous movement starts at 7 weeks). Apart from shedding light onthis aspect of pregnancy, this research could also be used to helppremature babies.

"We think the findings have implications for providing the optimalhospital environment for infants born early so that they receiveappropriate sensory input," said co-author Kimberley Whitehead, aclinical physiologist . "For example, it is already routine forinfants to be 'nested' in their cots - this allows them to 'feel' asurface when their limbs kick, as if they were still inside the womb."As the movements we observed occur during sleep, our results supportother studies which indicate that sleep should be protected innewborns, for example by minimizing the disturbance associated withnecessary medical procedures."

Mothers might be glad to know that there is a reason for all thekicking, especially as another recent study found that a baby's kickhas more than 10 lbs of force - more than hitting a tennis ball!

J Young***@ymail.com

"Abortion kills twice. It kills the body of the baby and it kills the conscience of the mother. Abortion is profoundly anti-women.~ Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta ~